“What’s Up With That Gig” is a weekly recap of a gig, sharing some novel ideas that my clients have incorporated to make their event special, and some innovative ways to weave live music into the mix. No rants about clients or bridezillas, because to be honest, the vast majority of people don’t behave like that, at least not at my gigs.
Each of these posts will conclude with a bit of sage advice: useful tips for the client (the bride, corporate client, etc.) and useful tips for the musician.

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Friday, January 22, 2010

Finding the Perfect Bridal Fair to Show Oﬀ Your Talents

I will an exhibitor at the Dream Wedding Show on February 28, 2010 at 11 am-4 pm.
Located at the Cal Expo
1600 Exposition Blvd.
Sacramento, California

Before committing to a Bridal Fair, ask the following questions:

1. Has the promoter produced any other wedding fairs or is this one of their ﬁrst events? If they produce shows on a regular basis, request statistics of how many brides walked through the front door. This way, you will get an idea of how many bookings are possible at the show (but if they quote 1,000, remember that you will only have time to talk with a small percentage of these brides). Keep in mind promoters may quote the number of people in attendance, not brides. If this is the case, this ﬁgure will be inﬂated, since brides often bring parents and friends along with them to shows.

2. Where is the show located? Brides are likely to attend shows that are in the same towns where they plan to get married. If you live in a rural town ﬁfty miles away from where the bridal fair is held, are you willing to drive this distance for each wedding you book at the show?

3. What are the dimensions of the booth? You’ll need to determine if you, your ensemble members, your performance equipment, several chairs, and a table can ﬁt comfortably in the space provided. After your visit to another bridal fair, you should have a good idea of how much space you will need to eﬀ ectively promote your musical talents to brides.